That's Politics - A tale from the Shattering: An Undertale AU
by HowManyJays
Summary: In the poor, impoverished town of Snowdin, there lives a bear more unfortunate than the rest. His story is a sad one, one of rising fame and tragic downfall. His name is Ferdinand, more commonly known as Politics Bear, and all he wanted to do was become a mayor.
1. The sad bear in Snowdin

**That's Politics**

In the poor town of Snowdin, every single monster who lives there has lost at least one thing or another in the last few, dreadful years. Many times it's only something like their jobs and or homes. Other times, it's as small and simple as a bike or a wooden toy. But what is, unfortunately, the most common loss is not something, but rather someone. That someone could be anyone ranging from mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, cousins, lovers and so forth.

But while most of them have one or two ways to recover from it, be it therapy or support from friends and or a loving family, there is one monster in this destitute town whose loss has made him more unfortunate than the rest. Everyone in town has heard of him, as he was once a big sensation who brought hope and joy to the despairing civilians, but now the only joy he can give them is as a reminder that whatever happens in their life, for whatever loss or hardship they may endure, it could always be a lot worse. The monster in question is an old bear named Ferdinand, sometimes called the Politics Bear due to reasons soon to be clear, and a few years ago a terrible tragedy happened which made him lose almost everything dearest to him except for his own life, although sometimes when in his drunken stupor, he wishes out loud he had the courage to make himself lose that as well.

Should you for any discernible reason want to visit Snowdin, you will most likely meet him if you stop for a snack or companionship at Grillby's, the only bar and restaurant in town, and one of the few businesses still left standing. Here is where many civilians meet up and greet each other, and chat and drink to old days, where life in the town was wholesome and optimistic before The First War of The Underground tore it apart, metaphorically and literally. Ferdinand practically lives in that bar these days, with his real "home" being nothing more than a dirty mattress and makeshift tent that can be found on the side of the building. You will instantly recognize him when you see a malnourished brown bear, with a tattered orange jacket and dirty unkempt fur filled with flies and other insects of various nature. If that's not enough of a guide, then you can sometimes find him inside by the counter, wasting his precious beggar money on cheap food and alcohol in order to perpetuate his constant cycle of seemingly unending depression.

As much as it's hard to imagine for someone who sees him for the first time, his life wasn't always like this, but then again, most monsters in the underground aren't born on the streets or come out the womb or egg in such a sad state in the first place. In fact, just a few years ago there was a period in time where he was ironically enough perhaps the most fortunate monster in town. Back then he was not someone you would ever guess would become a cynical drunk that sleeps in the streets. In those days he was usually well-fed, very clean and hygienic, and had a big heart, as big as all the other monsters in town combined.

He was also well known back then, but not in an infamous way like today, but because he had come up with an idea that he thought could make things better. It was just was a simple idea, a dream you can call it, but it was enough to bring hope and joy to the citizens of Snowdin for a while. Ferdinand put his utmost effort in making it come into fruition, and almost everyone in town tried their hardest to support it, not just for his sake but theirs as well. But as fate would have it, this idea is also what eventually led to his downfall, and today monsters look back on that hopeful idea as being just that, an idea, a rose coloured dream which they now realize will most likely never come into fruition.

Almost everyone in town has heard of his sad story, as many of them were there to witness it from beginning to end. Of his rise and fall, of him bringing hope to a town that desperately needed some, only to sadly end with all of it being taken away in a single, dreadful moment.

As for the idea in question. It was fairly simple, not much to be surprised about. It was just that Ferdinand had realized one day that what the town perhaps needed in this time of unease and crisis, was something resembling _a mayor of sorts_…

* * *

Author's note:

So... yeah. I actually went with this idea.

I honestly didn't think I would. Politics Bear is... well he's barely a character in UT. He only has like what? 3 lines? Yet, for some reason, as I was working on the backstory of my AU, I decided to give some minor characters some additional backstories for the fun of it, most of the time based on what we know and expect from them. When I came to Politics Bear, for some reason, my mind thought it was fitting that he should campaign as a mayor for Snowdin, which if you read the main, ongoing story of this AU, AKA The Royal Hunt, is kinda as you know, in a bad place to put it lightly.

But then this idea just... snowballed into... whatever this is. A multipart spin-off story of a character that doesn't even have an official name I think. I guess you can see this as more of a Snowdin spin-off story, which I don't think would be a wrong take honestly. Good old Ferdy as I call him might be the main point of view, but I guess the way I'm planning to write this, the entirety of Snowdin could be a character in of itself.

So... in short. Enjoy this... spin-off nobody asked for, yet I put an unnecessary amount of effort into crafting. Slaved away the last few days on writing just the first chapter.

P.S. Don't worry though. I'm also working on the Frisk Crossover story with Killb94 and Katelynntheg Frisks, and The Royal Hunt which I'm planning to write alongside this one. This is more of a companion piece I guess. Then there is my original short story I'm only one third done with... man I got so much writing to do.


	2. Part 1

**Part 1**

Ever since The First War of the Underground ended, things slowed down a lot at Snowdin's Newspaper Paper Business, and unfortunately, not for the better, it seemed. The company in question may be argued to not have the best editors, the best journalists or even the best name, but during the war, it boomed more than any other organisation in the Snowdin area. Not that it proved particularly difficult, considering their only major competitor in the area is simply a small restaurant bar in the middle of town.

Of course, none of the monsters who worked there, or at least those who still kept a sense of dignity and integrity, were particularly fond of taking advantage of the war while it raged on. Even if some monster had no relatives who took part in it, everyone could still agree on how much of a tragedy it truly was.

On the other hand, where there were great profit and growth to be made, no one could resist grabbing the chance while it was still available. It was the first war down here in the underground after thousands of years of relative peace. No matter what you felt of it, this was undeniably a big and important moment in their underground history.

As the war went on, Snowdin's Newspaper Paper Business, or SNPB, grew in greater and greater profit and size, until it was eventually able to almost compete with businesses from the capital, even their very own official newspaper businesses there, the aptly named Capital's Newspaper Paper Business or CNPB. To keep up with this, obviously more manpower had to be made and so more and more were hired until practically half of Snowdin's population worked there.

But now after the war had officially ended, and the major events relating to seemed to grow fewer and fewer as time went on, SNPB, who was once the unofficial king of Snowdin for a while, was now slowly and noticeably turning into a husk of its former self, filled with an overabundance of workers and with less and less cash to go around. The articles of great battles, heroes and tragedies were replaced with newspaper games, very minor pieces about very minor things, or articles that were reaching so hard to be interesting that it was clear to most readers they were now attempting to dig beyond the bottom of the barrel. To make things worse, Snowdin ended up being one of the places that took it the hardest after the war, partly because most of the major battles took place around the town, and that the kingdom seemed to have somehow lost any and all interest in it after the war, so much so that there weren't any hints of renovations going on.

So today, the work environment on SNPB, which was in the past lively and prosperous, was now filled with a growing sense of dread and unease, and much suspicions and worry went around on who amongst them would eventually get axed.

One of those who worked there was the plump brown-furred bear, Ferdinand. He was an editor and writer for articles and had done so not only years before the war, but before there were even hints of one breaking out. Thus he was very optimistic about the survival of his job, but even then, his kind heart couldn't stop himself from feeling sorry for his coworkers who would eventually get the short end of the stick.

Those thoughts and many more is what he pondered as he sat on one of the sofas in the overcrowded breakroom. All of them had been called there for some new announcement coming from their boss, but there were no true mysteries or any sense surprise, as everyone in the room was certain what it actually was, and almost all of them dreaded its arrival.

One of them was Ferdinand's friend and co-worker, Bruney the goblin.

"I told 'em," she complained, sitting down on the sofa beside him. "I told 'em we all shouldn't 'ave put al' our eggs in one basket. I told 'em, and look where we are now? But then again, why bother in listenin' to the newbies? We nevah know' what we talk bout, right?"

Bruney was a young and skinny goblin monster with mocha brown skin and a build of average height, slightly shorter than Ferdinand. Her snout was long and lizard-like, but her skin, like with all pureblood goblins, was, however, fleshy and rough. Her short, fine hair was coloured a brown a bit darker than her skin, her ears looked impish and small, and a long thin, devil-like tail came from her behind. She wore a simple business suit with a red tie alongside blue pants with a makeshift hole for her tail.

Goblins weren't a usual sight in the Snowdin area, and Bruney wasn't a native to the place either, having moved there with her boyfriend only a year before the war started, so she earned a somewhat famed status in town for being a rarely seen monster and not the usual rabbit or hare monster that mostly inhabited it. But businesses in this town rarely followed the usual rules of the business game, so fame and recognition weren't enough to keep your chances of having a job on the line, and Bruney knew that. What mostly mattered the most in this job was talent and skill, something she had decent loads of, but not enough to be considered professional.

"Gods darn it," she said and sighed. "Ferdinand, my 'airy fella, do ya think it's mayhaps still enough time for us to switch roles?"

Ferdinand smiled a bit in amusement. But truthfully, he didn't feel that happy though. Not by a long shot.

"I wished it really was that simple, truly," he said.

"I know ya do, big fella," Bruney said, sounding somewhat bitter. "Just tryin' to make a bit 'o light in this 'hole mess. But who knows tho? Maybe in the future, you'd be able to momentarily swap jobs with 'ol me cleaning up trash and litter from windows sills and the 'orns of 'elpless quadrupeds."

"Maybe," Ferdinand said. "Or who knows? You'll get to keep this job after all. There are not many goblins in this town after all. I have a feeling they give a rare monster like you a chance."

"Oh 'ow I wished I 'ad your optimism big fella," Bruney said with a hint of sadness. "I know this is it for ol' me tho. 'Em higher up don't care 'bout uniqueness, and I ain't got 'nough skill for their tastes."

As Ferdinand and Bruney then sat in half silence another co-worker, Rudolph, approach them, holding a cup of warm coffee in his hand. Rudolph was an older friend of Ferdinand and had worked in this business almost as long as he had. He was a bipedal reindeer monster with short black hair and a 5 o'clock shadow on his humanoid face.

"Not looking good, I'm afraid," he said to the duo.

"You can say that again," Bruney said.

"How much are they laying off today?" Ferdinand asked him.

"I don't know," Rudolph said and took a small sip from his beverage. "60, maybe 70 per cent is my guess."

"Man, that's practically a purge," Bruney added. "Guess I should feel a bit happier tho to know that I won't the only one screwed ova 'ere."

"Yeah," Rudolph added.

"We're still gonna miss having you here though," Ferdinand added. "If that makes you any better."

"Honestly not sure it does, but thanks anyway," Bruney said. "At least I ain't dyin' or somethin'."

A bell was rung in the room and immediately, all the commotion and chatter around seized. The large door was then opened, followed by a blue humanoid figure in a fancy suit and a large palm in place of a head. After him, and with the anticipation and quietness likened to the arrival of royalty, their boss, Octo, came crawling out.

They were an octopus monster like their name suggested, crawling on the floor with eight large tentacles instead of two or four limbs to walk on, with the upper part being a long bulbous cone looking object with six eyes. They were also seemingly genderless, a not so rare birth trait among many octopi monsters.

Everyone Ferdinand knew just called them Octo the Octopuss, as their true name was said to be utterly incomprehensible and unpronounceable by most other, non-octopi lifeforms. A trait their kind was believed to have inherited from their late ancestor, a draconic being from the depths of the deepest seas said to be of unfathomable power. Either that or Octo was actually their real name and their parents weren't particularly original. Whatever the case, the boss didn't mind being called Octo. They encouraged that in fact.

Octo looked across the crowded breakroom, across their employees and friends. There seemed to be a subtle hint of sadness on their mostly unreadable expression, but Ferdinand didn't feel surprised by that. He expected it rather. Everyone who had worked in this company for at least a few months knew them as a terrific boss and leader, at least in heart and soul, and it was clear this was a pretty difficult day for them as well. That was the main reason why most monsters in the room didn't hold much of a grudge against Octo, even those who knew or were sure their own job was dead on the line. All knew this was as hard for their boss as well as themselves.

"So I'm sure you all know why you are all gathered here at this moment," Octo began, sounding obviously saddened but trying to keep a stern face.

There came a bunch of nods and occasional "uh-huh" as replies from the crowd.

"Alright," Octo continued, sounding even more saddened. "For those that happen to be unaware and those that have missed all the signs so far, this company is going through a… difficult period to say the least. Not much has happened down in the underground for about a year now, ever since the war ended, so that has led to a massive drop in interests and sales that gets worse every week. This would be a big issue on its own, but we are also incredibly overstaffed compared due to the massive increase in the workforce during the war. That has led to budgeting and funding issues, you get the point. So that brings me to the bad news. I'm afraid that in order to keep this company afloat for a few more years at least, there will have to be some… some… layoffs."

There were no gasps, mutterings or any hint of surprises in the room. Everyone seemed to agree that this was a long time coming.

"It's already been decided who gets what," Octo continued, seeming on the verge of tears at this point. "Now I will promise you that they were not easy choices. All of you are… great employees in your own right, from janitors to editors. But to keep every single one of you from losing your income, I had to make some… sacrifices. Some of you will have to lose your jobs so that others can keep theirs. It's hard, I know. But unfortunately, it's the only way. The lesser evil, you can call it. But I'm not so sure if that's a good way to put it."

They then signalled the blue palm-headed monster with one of their tentacles, and he walked towards them and handed Octo a box of tissue without saying a word.

"Thank you, Hendur, thank you," Octo said as they wiped away some water from their eyes.

"Now," they continued and signalled Hendur to leave. "I will discuss with each and every one of you individually in my office to inform you of your future in this place… or lack thereof. I will go through all of you by names in alphabetical order, starting from the first letter and ending in the last. This might take days though since there are so many of you, but I am many things if not patient. Now, was this clear?"

There came a few nods and "uh-huh" from the crowd again.

"Good," Octo said. "Ok, not good. Technically. In the context of everything else I mean. I'm sorry, I meant it's good that understood me is all. So that I wouldn't have to repeat myself. Anyway, enough rambling. I will begin the interviews now, so we can be done with this… horrible misdeed as fast as we can. Hendur?"

The assistant returned handed them, silently once again, a white computer notepad. Octo then proceeded to turn it on and flip through it with their tentacles for a few silent moments while the entire room watched the slow and clumsy attempt.

"_Gods darned touchscreens_," they could be heard muttering. "Bingo. Finally. _Ahem_. So first on the list, mister A Aaa. Obviously. Wait! Sorry. My mistake. I read that wrong. It's your brother, mister A Aa who's first actually."

_Later._

The wait in the lobby proved to be long and tiring. Ferdinand had sat there for hours so far, and yet Octo hadn't even finished with the letter B. Not only because there were so many workers in here that it pretty much encapsulated half the town, although that was certainly a big factor, but mostly because each monster being interview took at least few minutes in the fastest. There were also some loud tears coming occasionally from the boss' office, yet every worker interviewed so far had barely returned with a red stain on their eyes, so it obviously wasn't them who were crying so much. It was also the same voice that was crying.

Most who left Octo's office rarely said much, although Ferdinand could clearly tell from their posture and expression what their fates were, as it seemed to almost always be a case of being sacked.

As Ferdinand watched the rows and rows of monsters of various types, but mostly rabbit or rabbit-like monsters, enter and leave Octo's office, the bear began to wonder if he perhaps his turn wouldn't come today. He was decently patient, but not that patient so he now began seriously considering maybe leaving for today if this pace kept on like this.

He looked around the lobby and saw dozens of monsters waiting, many for their inevitable sacking. Some were on their phones, others lost in thought and some even seemed to be on the verge of panicking. But they were all mostly quiet, and Ferdinand then wondered if it was possible the offices could end up even more quiet once they all were gone.

The optimistic brown bear was now deep in thought until he saw Bruney leave from Octo's office, looking disappointed, but only slightly. He then realized he was so deep in his thoughts he didn't even see her enter the office."

"How did it go?" he asked her.

"Got just as I suspected," Bruney answered simply. "Ain't no surprises 'ere."

Ferdinand felt a tinge of sadness grow within him, even though he had also suspected what the answer would be.

"So what are you going to do now?" he then asked her.

"Dunno," Bruney answered. "Thinkin' of mayhaps leavin' this town. Has turned into a crap' ole recently, pardon my word usage."

"Well, I'll miss having you around Bruney," Ferdinand said, sympathetically. "And your word usage."

"Heh, don't flatter me that much," Bruney said, jokingly.

"Of course not," Ferdinand said, also half-jokingly. "I'm still married after all."

Bruney smiled a bit. It was the type of melancholy smile one makes to fight an otherwise saddened state.

"I'll miss ya too, big fella," she said.

Then she straddled out towards the exit. The exit to this life, Ferdinand thought.

But he hadn't thought about just how he felt about losing so many co-workers today until now when it dawned on him it was actually happening. He felt certainly felt that this place would feel much emptier once he returned to work next week. Maybe just when he returned the next day. If he did that is. But he was certain of that. His optimism wasn't without merit, however. He had worked here for quite a while, for over a decade now, he was certain that Octo of all monster would understand the value in that.

He looked across the waiting room again and noticed that the pace had quickened a bit. Ferdinand calculated, with the help of the business knowledge he accumulated in all his years working here, that if this type of increase continued, his turn would assuredly come soon, maybe a few hours but most likely today. He partly couldn't wait to get it over with. He still had no plans to brag about his eventual success, but he still felt happy and assured about his future at the very least, even while knowing that it was probably a bit of a selfish thought. But whatever happened, Ferdinand was more than sure he'd be one of the lucky ones.

_A few hours later_.

Ferdinand couldn't believe his own ears as he sat in Octo's office. His unparalleled optimism, refusing to shatter at this moment, attempted to shield his senses and try to convince him for the good of his soul that he simply misheard.

"I'm sorry," Ferdinand said and smiled. "What did you just say?"

"You are… being laid off," Octo said, almost tearfully behind their desk which was now covered in many used tissues. "I'm sorry. We are sorry, rather."

Ferdinand felt little doubt in his hearing now. There was no way he could've misheard again.

Maybe this was a jest of some kind? An unamusing prank that seemed to be going too far. But Ferdinand failed to see any hint of irony or even glee on the octopi expression, no matter how hard he looked. Then again, they were, for the most part, an octopus monster, and didn't really have what the bear knew as a "face".

"Is… is this a joke?" Ferdinand asked the octopus in disbelief.

Octo gave out a sympathetic sigh.

"I know this is hard to take in," they said. "And I sincerely wish there was another way. But I'm so, _so sorry_. I'm afraid we have no choice but to… but to… let you go."

_That's it_, Ferdinand thought. _This is a dream. Of course, it is. Has to be. Octo wouldn't fire me of all monsters, right? _

"But I've worked here for about 10 years," Ferdinand said. "This makes no sense."

"I know that," Octo said. "We know that rather. But unfortunately, calculations were done and apparently, you weren't... you weren't… gods. Oh, father, how were you ever able to go through with this?"

"I weren't what?" Ferdinand said, demanding.

"You-you weren't…" Octo began nervously. "G-good enough?"

"What?!" Ferdinand exclaimed in shock.

"Their words, not mine!" Octo quickly said.

Ferdinand looked at them suspiciously.

"Who are _they_?" he pried.

Unless you were also an octopus monster or at least some sort of expert on them, it would normally be very hard for you to read their expression or emotions. Ferdinand had learned to read Octo through the years so this was rarely an issue for him. In this instance, however, you didn't have to be Ferdinand to notice their clear unease. You'd, in fact, have to not be paying any attention at all, which was not something a monster like Ferdinand would do in this situation.

"Oh gods," Octo muttered. "Oh, gods! I've said too much! This was supposed to be confidential info! Octo you stupid, stupid-"

"Who are they?" Ferdinand emphasized.

"Just some personal guides and advisors I hired!" Octo answered anxiously. "I was… we were… the company… was lost. I hired them because I had no clue what to do. You gotta believe me, sir. This company is on the verge of bankruptcy and this was the last resort. They… suggested that I should go through with the mass layoffs after all. I had considered that idea before, but I really didn't want to do it, but they all unanimously insisted on it either way. I then gave them a list and files of… of... employees here. Just stuff and records on your experiences and how well you've all done your jobs, nothing personal were included, I swear. They uhh, then read through them and sent me the recommendations on who to fire and who to keep."

"And you agreed with them?" Ferdinand pried. "You had no objections?"

"Of course I had… some objections," Octo said. "You, for instance, I remember being particularly shocked to see on the list of recommended layoffs. You had worked here for so long and I always believed you were very good at this job, so I called them thinking they made a mistake, and then they gave me their reasonings for your… discharge."

"And… you still agreed with them?" Ferdinand asked. "With their reasoning that is?"

Octo turned quiet and stared at the bewildered bear in front of them for a few, silent moment. Then, their eyes began to water greatly like a massive stream.

"Oh gods," they muttered and reached for the last remaining box of unused tissues. "_Oh, gods!_"

Before Ferdinand realized it, they had begun to bawl. He was too shocked to take any of this properly in, and thus stared unmoving at the situation transpiring right in front of him. All his optimism, all his thoughts of future plans suddenly down the drain in just a few words. But amidst them, forming by witnessing his boss' state, was a tinge of guilt.

"Look Octo, I'm sorry," he said. "For my reaction. I-"

"No I'm sorry," Octo said in the midst of their bawling. "It's my fault! All of it! F-Ferdinand? Tell those remaining folk waiting outside that I will have to delay meeting them until tomorrow. I-I thought I could do all today, but… but I just can't. I can't do anything more today. I'm sorry."

Then they ripped a large bundle of tissue from the box and sneezed loudly into it.

Ferdinand walked home that night, thinking and pondering all the way. When he told Bruney about this, she became surprised and then almost as dismayed as him. Rudolph, who had not had his interview yet, was also there once Ferdinand told Bruney the news, which made him start to finally express nervousness about his chances.

But the thing that the big, brown bear feared the most was waiting at his home. There was a person there, two persons rather, which he absolutely dreaded breaking the news to.

He was still in stunned thought once he left the outskirts of the town. His house was a bit deeper in the woods, and he always walked there, from and to, every day. Mostly since the underground didn't have a proper railway station yet, or at least it didn't in the Snowdin area.

After about a few minutes of long, dreadful walking that felt like hours, his house finally showed up in front of him. It looked like a simple house but was larger than most of the houses in Snowdin, this one being two stories large, complete with an attic. It also resembled much like a classical farmhouse, with its porch and wooden walls and tiles, which is what it once was, many years before when his grandparents owned it. Ferdinand wondered now whether he would have to be reduced to selling it in the future.

Once he reached the front door, he mentally prepared himself to deliver the bad news to the inhabitants on the other side as he grabbed the door handle.

"I'm home!" he yelled after he finally mustered the courage to open it.

At the other complete opposite end of the house, sitting on a comfy chair by a window, was the same familiar sight Ferdinand saw every day. His mother. She was old and senile, and a bear monster like his son, but with a slightly darker fur, being more coffee brown compared to Ferdinand's bronze brown fur. She was also unmistakably blind, as strangers would be able to tell due to her sunglasses and cane. Yet despite her great age, being just over 200 years old, and her fragility, she refused to be the type to be pushed back.

"About time you showed up!" she yelled back at him crankily. "Thought you'd be gone all week at this rate!"

"I love you too mom!" Ferdinand yelled as he dusted his snowy feet.

"You better do!" his mother yelled back.

She had lived with him for years now, ever since the retirement home right outside of Snowdin closed down and was replaced by an orphanage. Ever since then, Ferdinand took care of her the best he could. She was however not the only person who lived with him awaited in the house.

Ferdinand undressed from his jacket and hanged it up inside the cupboard. Then he went to the kitchen, where he found her, as usual. A white and red axolotl monster, sitting by the kitchen table and wearing a blue nightgown awaiting him like she did every time he was late. He looked at her, at his wife, and felt the tinge of sadness within him grow to larger proportions as the weight of telling the news dawned on him, finally.

Her name was Salamandra, and they had been married for over half a decade now. She hadn't noticed his presence as she was busy reading, or rather perusing, through one of her cheesy romance novels from her collection. She never read them for their plot or even had much interest in the story or characters. Mostly she just acknowledged them as the shlock they usually were but loved reading them due it. Due to the cheesiness of them, the unnatural dialogues, and the strange, made-up situations that always made her laugh at the bizarreness of. In short, she never read them in the way they were "intended to be read".

The book she was currently reading now was about an obvious fictional romance between a human princess and a Regis, or as they are called in their modern and less fancy terms, Boss Monsters. It claimed to be a true story, but Salamandra and Ferdinand were sure that was just plain marketing, and the two of them often made silly theories on what the true story was actually like in its unromanticized form, ranging from the princess having a drunk one night stand to the boss monster thinking the princess was actually a shaved ape monster.

Ferdinand stood in the doorway looking at her for a few moments before Salamadra noticed her husband presence.

"Busy day at work again huh?" she asked, looking up from her book.

"Uh, you could say it was," Ferdinand answered, somewhat nervously.

"Mhmm," Salamandra expressed and returned her eyes to the pages. "So was there anything particular going on today or was it just overtime?"

Ferdinand felt as if his mind stopped at this moment. All his prepared words, all his mental notes on what to say suddenly ceased at this moment, and he found himself unable to be, for the lack of a better word, the bearer of bad news.

"Today was… good," he clumsily said to her. "Good. Nothing… err… peculiar happened today. Nothing at all. Just… overtime."

_Oh, gods, why did I lie to her?_ Ferdinand thought, feeling more ashamed of himself now than from any thought that came to him previously today.

"Ah, nice to hear," Salamandra then said.

Ferdinand felt almost stunned. He couldn't believe his own words or actions. He knew it was best to just lay it out now, looking at his wife, he found the task impossible at the moment.

"Except for the overtime of course," Salamandra added. "Maybe nice was the wrong word to use now that I think about it. Sorry about them."

"It's alright," Ferdinand said to her. "No offence was taken."

Salamandra, obviously clueless on his current status, laid down the book and went to the sink to work on the bowls for dinner. It was her turn today but she decided to wait for it until she was certain her husband would arrive for the night.

"So I tried the pregnancy test again this morning," Salamandra suddenly said.

"And?" Ferdinand asked with slight intrigue.

"It's negative," she replied without looking up. "Again."

"Oh, ok," Ferdinand replied.

He didn't feel very surprised to hear that. Disappointed like usual, but not surprised. He would have been if she told him the opposite. For the longest time, they have tried and failed to have a child together. Their doctor even said that there could be a chance they weren't compatible, being different monster types. But hybrid monsters of many types weren't exactly unheard in the underground. Ferdinand even had a cousin once removed in the capital who had a healthy child with a cat monster. But bears and cats weren't far apart when it came to monster biology, both having mostly fur for example, and a bear and an axolotl monster could be a different case altogether. However, neither of them were ready to give up just yet, since as long as nothing was confirmed they both had a sliver of hope. Although it was beginning to wane for both of them after so many failed attempts.

"We could always adopt y' know?" Ferdinand suggested.

He immediately regretted suggesting that as he remembered they probably won't have the cash to support that in the future, not even for just the three of them living here. He knew he had to find a job fast in the future, perhaps in secret if his lying went too far.

"Yeah we could," Salamandra said, still not looking up while she cleaned the food bowls.

"Anyway, I hadn't asked how your work today was?" Ferdinand asked, desperately trying to move the conversation.

Salamandra gave out an exasperated sigh.

"Gods, the kids today," she said. "Sorry if I sound too harsh, but today was definitely not my day. Apparently, there was some online event that was taking place exactly when my class was going on. You know how it is. That robot celebrity, Mettatin or whatever, was doing some sort of live stream or something, advertising yet another of his shows, and all the kids wouldn't stop shouting on how they wanted to see it instead of being in class at that moment. Some even tried to sneak out of class, and one particular boy was even sure getting intentionally kicked out was a good plan. Gods. If I had a choice, I would've taken what you went through today, no offence."

_If you only knew_, Ferdinand thought.

"I know it's easy to blame the robot for all of this," Salamandra began. "But I think the caretakers at the orphanage should put more restraint on the kids, or at least the other teacher should at the very least."

"Yeah, but it doesn't help that he's the only celebrity they have at the moment," Ferdinand added. "Might be problematic for kids to have only him to look up to,"

"Well we had Undyne in our youth and we turned out fine," Salamandra added. "I really don't think it's a simple as blaming the celebrities."

"Yeah," Ferdinand added. "Whatever happened to Undyne though? Didn't she like, retire after the war?"

"That's what I heard," Salamandra said. "Apparently it really got to her. Quit the Royal Guard right as soon as it officially ended."

"Well I wonder what's she's doing now," Ferdinand added.

Her wife suddenly chuckled a bit.

"I thought you would know all that," she then said. "Since you're working for the newspaper after all."

"Uhh, yeah," Ferdinand said awkwardly. "I sure do. I just don't… have the best memory that is."

"Or have you been doing something else while you're gone for the day?" she suddenly added. "Any other ladies I should know about or-"

"Oh, gods no!" Ferdinand said, almost exclaiming it.

Salamandra almost dropped the plates back onto the sink by the tone of his voice. This gave him a greater sense of regret than his deceit. In all their years of marriage, he had never lashed out like that to her, even if this lashing was particularly minor compared to how it could've been.

"C-calm down, I was just teasing you," Salamandra said, clearly shaken. "I know you, and of course I know you wouldn't do something like that."

"Oh sorry," Ferdinand said with great guilt. "I'm terribly sorry. I'm just on… bit of an edge today is all."

Salamandra then turned around, and Ferdinand saw a look of worry on her axolotl expression.

"Something happened today didn't it?" she asked him with a tone of worry.

Ferdinand felt almost speechless. Not only did he feel that this turned into an even worse moment to break the news, but he had also completely forgotten the lines and words he had sort of planned in his head on his way home. Instead, he thought for a few seconds and simply said the first things that came to his mind.

"There were some… layoffs at work today," he managed to say.

He noticed that Salamandra's expression turned a bit more concerned.

"And…" she pried, clearly nervous of where this was going.

Once he saw her expression, Ferdinand felt as if the difficulty of this task increases tenfold. He felt frustrated and scared. He had finally gotten the courage back to tell her the truth, but now, seeing her worry, he found himself back to square one.

"Uhh, that's it," Ferdinand felt himself blurt out, almost robotically. "That's it. Nothing else."

"Oh," Salamandra said. "Well, that's… awful."

"Yeah," Ferdinand said. "I'll… miss these folk."

He felt the fur on the back of his neck turn wet from his sweat.

"I understand, I think," Salamandra said as walked towards him. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if something like that happened at the orphanage. If I were in your place, I definitely would feel nervous at the very least."

"I… sure am," Ferdinand said. "I-"

Before he finished, Salamandra suddenly gave him a small kiss on his bear snout. It was a bit quick and anti-climatic, but he found it helpful none the less. Made him feel more at ease. But as soon as she turned around to finish the dishes, he felt his great guilt return back to him.

"I guess it might sound selfish," she continued. "But at least you were lucky."

"Uh, yeah that's… true," Ferdinand began. "Can't really… say that with the others."

"Yeah," Salamandra said sympathetically as she stood over the dishes.

There was a moment of quiet before she continued with the dishes.

"So our food budget is running out, in case you haven't noticed," Salamandra said as she placed the now clean bowls on the table alongside one normal spoon, and two special spoons made for bear paws

"I… have noticed…" Ferdinand said simply.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll survive though," Salamandra added as she placed on the table some milk curds from the fridge. "Payday for both of us is just in a week. We can live on milk curds until then."

_We might have to live on milk curds for a while longer than a week_, Ferdinand thought.

After literally every word, he felt this moment grow worse as he stood there, absorbing what he just did. Lie to her. Something he hadn't done for as long as he could remember.

Salamandra then sat down on the same chair she read from and placed the book down on the ground to make more place for her bowl and spoon. She then gave out a short exasperated sigh.

"I kinda envy your job though," she said as she laid once scaly hand on her head. "Only because of the pay, to be honest. Doubt I make it far as an editor. But the pay would be a fair trade for having to deal with these kids all day."

_Is the universe mocking me today?_ Ferdinand thought.

"I… I see," he said to her, softly.

"Uh, but I shouldn't say that though," Salamandra added and sighed. "You just kinda… forget sometimes that these kids are just… kids. Trying to figure the world out. And they're orphans so… that must confuse them more in the very least."

There came a moment of silence between the two of them as they stood there thoughtfully.

"Woah, sorry about that," Salamandra suddenly said, sounding a bit regretful. "Went on a bit of a tangent there. Didn't mean to make it so one-sided."

"No, no, it's alright," Ferdinand said reassuringly. "You weren't selfish or anything. I… just didn't have much to add."

"Maybe," Salamandra began. "Gods, I hope these things don't bode badly for our future parenthood."

"Nonsense, I always say you'd be a great mother Sala," Ferdinand said, a bit glad he was now able to move the conversation to another, less awkward place for him.

"And I always say you'd be a great father," Salamandra added. "In fact, I think you're even much better with kids than me."

"Nonsense," Ferdinand said and smiled. "You literally hang around them all day. Done so for several years now in fact."

"Alright," Salamandra said and smiled back. "I guess we'll put this to the test once the time comes."

"Once the time comes," Ferdinand repeated. "Y'know what? I'll even go as far as to bet you that you'd be a better parent than me."

"Oh really?" Salamandra replied playfully. "Well, then I'll challenge that bet and say that you'll be better than me."

"Deal," Ferdinand said jokingly. "Then in about 18 years after he, she or maybe they are born, we'll see who's the winner. Or loser rather."

"Deal," Salamandra said.

They both smiled as they both thought about the suggestion they suddenly came up with. Then, almost at the same time, their smile faded as they thought about it properly.

"But seriously though, let's not actually turn our future parenthood into a literal game or competition," Salamandra said after a few seconds with more seriousness.

"Yeah, that's actually a terrible idea," Ferdinand agreed. "I think we'll just do our best rather. With what we got that is."

"Yeah, with what we got," Salamandra repeated. "So far, what we got is good."

The big, brown bear, knowing it meant to be inspirational, just felt incredibly saddened to hear those last words. Her great sense of optimism reminded him of his, or rather how it used to be before this day. He believed for a while that this was the reason he believed she was the one. Their shared sense of optimism felt greater than anything when combined, and it made him feel like they could climb the tallest mountains with it. But now, he found himself weak, so much so he felt it almost impossible to break hers, even though he knew that doing it would be much better in the long run. This moment, was perhaps the most he ever felt ashamed in his life in fact. More than telling her the truth would have done, and he knew that. Still, he could only bring himself to silence for now. For now, before the bad storm, he partly wanted, although selfishly, to cherish these last big moments of seeming optimism and joy before it ran out for a while.

"Alright," Salamandra said. "The food's getting cold. Better start eating it before it gets even worse."

"Oh yeah," Ferdinand said, having almost forgotten about it.

He turned around and faced the doorway.

"Mother!" he yelled down the hall. "Dinner's ready!"

"About time!" his mother yelled back.

_The next morning_.

"Oh gods, what have I done?!" Ferdinand wailed. "What do I do now?!"

"Calm down," Bruney said, patting his back. "It ain't the en' 'o the world' just yet."

He laid with his face down on the bar counter inside Grillby's with a pint of sluggish beer in his paw. Besides him now were his two friends and ex-coworkers, Bruney and Rudolph.

The place, being Grillby's bar and restaurant, was greasy and the air almost as thick as hotland itself. It was the main reason Ferdinand rarely went there. That, and he didn't particularly care for the food and drinks, but now, he found himself unable to care about even the greatest discomfort this place gave him. The joy he felt last night, the one he convinced himself for a moment would be kept permanent by ignorance, was now utterly replaced bleeding guilt the moment the day began, like a terrible, emotional hangover where the headaches only grew worse by the minute.

"I lied to her!" Ferdinand wailed. "Oh, gods, why couldn't I just tell her the truth?!"

"I hear ye," Bruney said, sympathetically. "Even tho' we both expected it, I still found it 'ard to tell Alexo 'bout it, 'bout how his girl is jobless now. 'Ells, 'e even took it pretty bad either way, once I did finally tell 'im."

"I still think that informing her of this is much better in the long run," Rudolph added.

"Oh, I agree, actually," Bruney said. "I was just sayin' that I understand' 'ow 'ard it is. 'Specially for a fluffy fella like you, Ferdy."

"But how do I tell her the truth at this point?" Ferdinand said, desperately. "I made it so much worse by lying about it in the first place. If I tell her now, she might… she might… gods, I don't even want to think about it!"

"Ok, so I know I'm the only one here who hasn't lost their job yet," Rudolph began. "So it may not be really fair to compare me to you two, but in my experience, he sooner I told my wife about some… bad news so to speak, the better it was in the long run. Yes, I know it's hard and sounds much more simple than it is, but trust me, if you think it's bad now, it gets much worse the longer it goes, especially when she finds out about the truth herself. Which she will. Trust me."

"Oh, I ain't so sure you ar' helpin' 'im with that, Rudy," Bruney said to the deer.

"No, he's right," Ferdinand said and raised his head back up from the counter. "The sooner I tell Salamandra about my sacking, the sooner I can get this dreadful thing over with."

"'Ell, that was quick," Bruney said, somewhat surprised.

He took his pint of sloppy beer and took a big swig from it. He wasn't a big fan of the taste, thinking it tasted like spoiled fruit and potatoes with needlessly strong spice, but he found it bearable in the very least. He also rarely drank alcohol in general unless it was a special occasion, and he felt this was definitely a special occasion, although obviously not of the celebratory kind. It helps him with his thoughts, is what he told himself, but with how much help he needed today, Ferdinand wasn't sure that this drink was enough to provide it

As soon as he had emptied almost half the glass, he placed it from his mouth, grinned with his hairy mouth full of sediment, and then slowly placed it down back on the counter.

"Gah," he expressed and wiped the stain on his mouth with some tissue. "But it's still hard y'know? I really want to mitigate the… upset it would cause her, but I'm not sure how?"

"We can help you with that," Rudolph said. "Right Bruney?"

"Oh sure I can," the goblin replied. "We'll 'elp you, big fella. I've been thru it once with Alexo, and I can and will gladly go thru it again fo you."

"Alright," Ferdinand said, feeling slightly better now. "That's good to hear at the very least."

He glanced at his glass pint, feeling doozy just looking at it now.

"Ugh, I don't think I can bring myself to drink more of that," he said. "Bruney, you can have the rest."

"Oh, no thanks," Bruney said. "I ain't in the mood currently, and when I ain't in the mood, I just get sick by lookin' at the gunk."

"And I don't drink," Rudy said. "Or at least, I don't drink beer that is."

"Alrighty then," Ferdinand began. "Your losses. Grillby?!"

As he called the fiery bartender, Grillby quietly stopped cleaning the glasses momentarily and went towards the waiting bear, goblin and deer almost right after command. Despite the very apt description of fiery, Grillby wasn't a particularly energetic individual. He was known to, in fact, be almost the complete opposite with great coolness in his actions and behaviour. The reason fiery was an apt term for him was simply because he was literally made of fire, being an orange fire elemental that is. He wore what was most likely heat resistant glasses and bartender clothes, yet very few who didn't know him personally were sure about whether he actually was as hot as a fire, or if he merely resembled flame in look only, but no one dared to check for themselves, either because of fear of coming across as rude or from burning at contact, which some thought could be considered rude as well, not the burning but rather the idea of doing something like poking him unaware.

As the fire elemental had approached the trio by the counter, Ferdinand reached for some extra cash he had in his pockets, cash that he was sure he could afford to lose for the time being. A worry that had grown the past few hours.

"So how much was it for this pint again Grillbz?" Ferdinand asked the fiery bartender. "20g? 30g?"

"It's 90g," Grillby said simply.

Ferdinand looked at him like he just made a bad joke. The bear was about to speak his surprised mind, but Bruney was ahead of him, sounding just as, if not more, confused than he was.

"90g 'or a single pint?!" she exclaimed. "That's triple the price since last week, and even that was way too high."

"Is this a joke?" Rudolph added. "I don't think even most monster here in town even get paid that high by the hour."

"Ferdy should in the very least get a discount for drinkin' only half o' it!" Bruney protested.

"I'm sorry," Grillby said, apologetically. "But the taxes and the price of mortgage down here in Snowdin have increased exponentially recently. Far too much in fact."

"What?!" Ferdinand exclaimed.

This was the first time he ever heard this news, and as he judged from the tone and reaction of his two friends, it seemed to be the first time for them as well. He thought his sacking from yesterday couldn't feel any worse, but lo and behold, like a cruel torturer, life somehow made it so.

"I wish I could make a sacrifice for you three," Grillby added. "But my wife just gave birth to a daughter and I need to take care of myself for now. You understand me right?"

"I don' give a dog's arse about your life story!" Bruney protested. "This is unfair! We were nevah informed about this!"

"I'm sorry but… that's how things are now," Grillby said, apologetically. "I… I can't control it."

"Then we ain't payin'," Bruney said. "C'mon guys, let's get outta here."

"No, no, I think I have some extra change," Ferdinand said.

He checked his pocket and pulled out a bundle 10g bills. He counted it, and then put nine of it on the counter, which turned out to be more than half of the bills.

"Keep the change if any," Ferdinand added.

Then the trio, feeling a mixture of frustration and shock, left the bar.

"That's just utter nonsense," Bruney said. "We nevah asked for any tax increase."

Ferdinand and Bruney were now standing together outside the Snowdin's library. Rudolph had gone back to Grillby's to apologize for her behaviour, but mostly to ask around why the sudden increase in taxation.

"I don't think many reasonable monsters do," Ferdinand said. "But I'm sure King Asgore has his reason."

"Yeah right," Bruney said dismissively. "That ol' fart 'asn't been seen outside 'is castle for years now. Ever since 'is wife kicked the bucket, supposedly. Doubt he even gives a big 'ol crap about us Snowdin folk anymore. Some even say he's finally lost 'is mind now or somethin'."

She gave out a short sigh.

"I'm definitely thinkin' of movin' now," she said. "Me an' Alexo that is. He ain't keen on that 'idea yet, but it's probably the wisest decision now, for the both o' us, before things get some' ow even worse down 'ere. Maybe go back to my ol' home in Waterfall or somethin'."

Ferdinand didn't have much to say now. He wasn't particularly in the mood to talk about things like that just yet. He was staring at the bar and saw Rudolph leave the front door of it. His expression showed dismay and confusion as he approached the duo.

"What is it?" Ferdinand asked. "Did you get any answers?"

"Yeah, and it doesn't make much sense," the reindeer answered. "Apparently, the price of taxes increased to make up for the cost of the war."

"Seriously?!" Bruney exclaimed. "But this town got the worst brunt of it compared to other places. If anythin', this town should pay less."

"But why now?" Ferdinand pried. "The war ended last year. Why wait to increase the taxes til now."

"According to some folk, and this is just speculation," Rudolph began. "The gold in the capital… is supposedly running dry or something."

"Oh, that's bull honky," Bruney said. "In that case, 'then why won't they just increase the tax for the monsters in the capital? This 'hole town wouldn't even be considered large enough fo' a neighbourhood there."

"Just saying what the guys inside told me," Rudolph said. "As I said, it's only speculation. Nothing official."

Ferdinand said nothing in reply. Just stood thinking in silence, as he recently took a habit of. Now that he was no longer higher up the fortunate chain than others in town, he found himself agreeing with what Bruney said earlier, about the state of the town that is. It was subtle, but now that he looked around without as much bias, he found himself unable to ignore some clear signs of decay.

He saw some townspeople wearing dirty or sometimes torn clothes they couldn't afford to clean or replace, some of the houses had holes or cracks starting to form, and some of the smaller shops in the square were either closed or seemed to be on the verge to be. Then there were the townsfolk themselves, and many of them gave of an aura of discomfort and unease. Ferdinand wasn't much of a magician or even knew much about magic or mystic stuff in general, but even he could tell just by looking at them that all their souls and willpower seemed to have weakened greatly than usual.

"Look at us now," Bruney began. "Jobless, penniless, an' pretty soon we might' end up 'omeless if we keep livin' 'ere. Maybe not you Rudy tho'. Maybe you'll survive the purgin' follow up later today."

"Eh, let's just prepare for the worst," Rudolph said. "If Ferdinand didn't make it, what chance do I even have?"

"And we won't be the only ones," Ferdinand said, adding to Bruney's statement. "Seems like most businesses in this area, even big ones, might end up actually following SNPB route."

"And so life in Snowdin is only gonna get worse," Rudolph said, worryingly.

"Seems so," Bruney said. "And there ain't nothin' we can do 'bout it. We ain't even got a voice 'ere no more. Ever since Undyne quit that is. Just a king that don't leave 'is hole no more' an' gives no real shit no more 'bout some backwater town down south."

"Yeah," Rudolph began. "I really wish this town had like a…like a…"

"Like a mayor or something?" Ferdinand asked.

"Yeah, something like that," Rudolph replied.

It was at that moment a spark grew within the brown bear. A figment of hope, that he believed could grow into great salvation, for not just him, but for the entirety of the Snowdin area. It was just an idea, but it was an idea that Ferdinand now began to believe was the greatest thing he ever thought of during all his years of living in this town. He felt as if he was drawn to the stars by it, or like his broken hopes were fixing itself again. It was mayhaps just a dream, but it was a dream that the whole town most likely had without knowing, and once he revealed it, he was certain they jump to his support. At that moment, the vanished light of optimism within him began to shine proudly once again.

"Rudolph, Bruney," Ferdinand began. "You two may have just given me the best possible idea this town ever had."

* * *

_Author's note coming soon._


End file.
